


your hair is dumb

by Kittenixie



Series: spiderfriend shorts [1]
Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Arson, Backstory, Best Friends, Friendship, Gay Male Character, Gen, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, Trans Female Character, Yep!, i also just woke up gndk, i wrote this at like 3 AM, i'm really bad at tags but anyway, willow is a trans lesbian, wilson is gay, ~so if you do not like that you probably shouldn't read it~, ~this one has lgbt themes~
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 10:22:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15265434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittenixie/pseuds/Kittenixie
Summary: Wilson is irritating.Willow is impulsive.Maybe, though, they can figure out how to get along.





	your hair is dumb

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys! i decided to write a short instead of working on the new chapter, focus on the other characters a bit
> 
> that being said, this fic is fully canon to [spiderfriend!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15045113/chapters/34877765) it's set before wendy or webber got to the dst world
> 
> also, this fic has explicitly lgbt characters (read the tags lol), so you probably shouldn't read it if you don't wanna see that

It had been almost a full day since Willow had arrived in this other place.

 

Sure, she'd been in this strange world for a while, maybe a week or two? But she'd since gotten dragged through an odd portal into yet another place. It seemed mostly the same, except the tall jerk who'd brought her here wasn't there to greet her this time. Instead, she arrived on the other side of another portal, which deactivated once she got through. No going back, she was stuck here. Goodbye, lovely fire pit. At least she kept her lighter.

 

She'd mostly spent the day exploring, though her head was a bit achy. Once dusk fell, though, her head only hurt worse and worse. All she could think about was lighting a fire. Was it smart? No. Rational? Also no. But she couldn't quite help it.

 

The trees would burn nicely.

 

She flicked her lighter, once, twice, until a fire rose up. And then, she pressed it to the bark of an evergreen, lighting it ablaze and basking in the flame. It was nice here, really. There was nobody to tell her not to, nobody to get angry with her for her bad habits (other than her future self). She watched as the tree burned, fire spreading slowly through the forest until everything was lit and blazing. She didn't feel the burning, the fire licked her skin but it never hurt her. She could just stand there and watch until--

 

“Hey! What in the name of…”

 

She jolted, whipping around to look at the newcomer, lighter still in hand. Was that… a person? She really couldn't describe him as anything other than  _ odd,  _ especially with his haircut. It was kinda shaped like a messed up W. She tilted her head at him, and he just kind of stared at her, obviously just as confused. After all, there weren't supposed to be any other people here. They were supposed to be alone.

 

Willow heard the trees extinguishing behind her, burnt out and now pretty much unusable. They just stood there for a moment, considering each other, considering the ramifications of the fact that there were multiple people in this place. The man cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away. “...Er… You can come with me, if you want. I have a camp, and it's getting dark.” Willow narrowed her eyes slightly, considering the offer, then sighed, nodding. He started leading the way back, but Willow was just… Bitter.

 

She was supposed to be the only one here.

 

* * *

 

 

Willow blinked as she was passed a few meatballs.

 

It was night now, pitch black outside, but Willow was seated beside a fire pit. A bit too close for her new company's liking, it seemed, but she didn't really care. After all, she wouldn't get hurt by the flames, and he'd already seen her burning a whole forest down, and if he didn't judge her for that, he never would. Still, she accepted the food, realizing how hungry she was, and pretty much shoved it into her mouth.

 

The man sat down, nearby but not too close, tossing a log into the fire. “...Well then,” he muttered with a sigh, rubbing his temples. “I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Wilson Percival Higgsbury.” She kind of hated the way he talked. It just sounded pretentious.

 

“That's… An awfully extravagant name,” she replied, voice a bit gravely from lack of use. How long had it been since she'd had a decent conversation with another person? Way too long, definitely, but it couldn't be helped. Wilson huffed quietly, obviously annoyed, so Willow sighed and gave in, arms crossed. “...Willow. Just Willow.” The man nodded, seeming rather awkward. She got the sense that they were both wildly out of their element, but for largely different reasons.

 

“How long have you been here?”

 

She felt like she was being interrogated again. She touched her lighter, though didn't take it out for worry that Wilson might think she was about to set the camp on fire. “I don't know. A few weeks? I went through a portal earlier today and ended up here.” She shrugged, looking pretty annoyed.

 

“I see.” He nodded, putting a hand to his chin in thought. “So there are multiple portals that connect to the one here, and there are more people than just us, who knows how many. More people can obviously come through, but none can go back. One way.” Willow narrowed her eyes, tapping her nails against the log she was sitting on in annoyance. This guy could certainly talk for hours about things nobody but him cared about.

 

Willow decided to just think instead.  _ Think about the house burning down, maybe with parents inside. Think of the forest fire. Think of the sheriff’s station up in flames. Think of how they interrogated and only got well crafted lies through gritted teeth. Think about the deal. _

 

“Um… Hey, are you alright?”

 

Wilson's voice broke her from her trance, and she realized she'd lit her lighter. The man stared at her, obviously tense, obviously uncertain, but not really afraid.  _ Bet he thinks he can take me in a fight. Ha.  _ She huffed, blowing out the flame and putting her lighter back in her pocket. “I'm fine,” she replied evenly, arms crossed. Wilson hesitated slightly, then nodded. He already knew what she was, didn't he? He knew she was an arsonist. Why didn't he just kick her out?

 

“Alright. Just don't set anything on fire.”

 

* * *

 

 

She just needed wood for the fire, what the  _ fuck _ was this thing? 

 

A tree had stood up, stomping toward her slowly but consistently. Whenever she got too close, it took a swipe, but it was slow enough to dodge with ease. Still, it just kept lumbering toward her, no matter the distance she got on it. Ugh. She spotted Wilson out of the corner of her eye, managing his inventory, but as soon as he caught sight of her and the huge tree monster, he paused. He then took out a few morsels of meat, standing up.

 

“Just keep it busy, I'll be right back!” He called, running off. Ugh,  _ really _ ? Really.

 

She kept moving, dodging its swings, but trying to stay in the same area. Just in case that egghead did have a plan. It was at least an hour before she saw him again, leading three or four pigmen in. “Charge!” He cried, and the pigmen ran to the treeguard, squealing and oinking in rage. As soon as the first punch landed, its attention was off of her, and she quickly moved away from the monster. Wilson dusted his hands off, grinning.

 

“Well, can't say I'm not impressed. But your hair is still stupid,” she teased. The scientist scowled, crossing his arms.

 

Wilson was… tolerable.

 

* * *

 

 

“Well, I was kind of a… freelance scientist, before I got here.” Wilson shrugged, eating a meatball.

 

“You mean mad scientist,” Willow joked, warming up beside the fire. He gave her an unamused look.

 

“No I do not. Anyways, the voice on the radio told me he'd give me knowledge, and he told me how to build the portal. And now I'm here.”

 

Man, she wished her story were that simple.

 

“What about you?”

 

“...Well…” She paused, clearing her throat. “Ugh. My parents kinda sucked. They didn't like me being me, didn't like who I liked, and at some point I got sick of it, so I set their house on fire.” Wilson seemed… A bit surprised, but not too much. “After that I was a suspect, but never got convicted because I was a good liar. From there, I just started burning things.” Another pause. She didn't know how to explain her odd fixation on fire, really. It'd just been like that since she was little.

 

“It wasn't like… Malice, or anything, other than my old house. I just like fire. It… makes me feel safe. I can't really stop myself from lighting things when I'm feeling bad. I just  _ do _ it. Autopilot.” She shrugged. “Anyway, one way or another, cops got onto me, so I was on the lam. Found a radio, he told me he could get me out of trouble, and here I am.”

 

“...Your life sounds a whole lot more eventful than mine,” Wilson commented.

 

“Ha. Maybe.” She paused, furrowing her brows. “...You know… Since we're like, confessing things right now, I want you to know something.” After all, she trusted him. Anyone who could hear about how she burned her own house down without freaking out was a keeper. “I'm, well…” She paused, then huffed, eyes narrow. “Y'know what? Screw it. I'm a trans women and I like women. We good?” Wilson seemed just a bit startled by the sudden force in her tone, but he probably knew it was just to get over the awkwardness.

 

“...Is that… I mean, I'm glad you told me, but is that all?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean that you literally just told me you were a convicted arsonist. Again, glad you trust me enough to tell me that, but the way you led up to it made it sound like you were about to say you killed a man in cold blood or something.” He shrugged. “But yes, we're cool. I mean, I'm… pretty sure I'm gay, so.”

 

Willow blinked, then snorted. “You're pretty right. And I also support you.” She felt pretty at ease. Not something she thought she'd feel around anyone else for a long time. But here she was, telling someone she really truly trusted all of her secrets. It was a nice feeling. “Y'know, I kinda used to think you were a jerk. And now we're just best friends, huh?”

 

“You made your feelings about me  _ very _ apparent, don't worry. But… yeah. I used to think you were just a very aggravating arsonist.”

 

“‘A very aggravating arsonist’ sounds like a really fucked up kids’ book,” Willow snickered, relaxing. Wilson snorted, shaking his head.

 

Despite what she thought at first, she was glad she wasn't alone anymore.


End file.
